Miss R Saunders v Home Office — 2026

Miss R Saunders's unfair dismissal and disability discrimination claims against the Home Office were dismissed following her non-attendance at the Cardiff hearing on 21 August 2026. The public preliminary hearing had been listed to decide whether the claims, which had been brought out of time, should be permitted to proceed. Her employment ended in May 2025, and the claim had been ongoing since April 2026.

At 09.49am, 11 minutes before the hearing was due to start, Saunders requested a postponement by email, saying that her mental health made her unfit to attend. She also referred to being unable to secure legal representation. The tribunal found that she had supplied no supporting evidence, including medical evidence. She had not provided the witness statement or evidence about time limits required by the notice issued on 17 July 2026, and had not answered the respondent's emails of 6 and 14 August. Her claim form referred to poor health and poor mental health but did not specify the disability relied upon.

The tribunal refused the postponement under Rule 32(2)(c) of the Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024 because there was insufficient evidence of exceptional circumstances to justify an application made less than seven days before the hearing. In particular, there was no medical evidence of a long-term illness or disability preventing engagement with the proceedings or attendance. Taking account of the available information and the claimant's failure to attend or be represented, the tribunal dismissed the claims under Rule 47. It did not decide their substantive merits or whether to permit them to proceed out of time. No monetary award was recorded.